Lung metastasis from an ovarian granulosa cell tumor 36 years after the initial diagnosis: report of a case

This report presents the case of a late relapse of an ovarian granulosa cell tumor (GCT) that metastasized to the lung 36 years after the initial diagnosis. A 72-year-old female demonstrated multiple nodules with extrapleural signs on chest computed tomography. Positron emission tomography with ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([¹⁸F]FDG-PET) showed that the nodules had no FDG avidity. The nodules, which appeared as polypoid lesions of the visceral pleura on thoracoscopy, were resected and diagnosed as pulmonary metastases from the GCT. This case report indicates that thorough thoracoscopic exploration of the pleural cavity is essential when intrathoracic nodules are seen on postoperative imaging examinations in GCT patients, even when the [¹⁸F]FDG-PET results are negative.